Agreed. As I have mentioned previously somewhere on this thread, my father started his career in television as a cameraman before moving on to live television as a director, so I really focus on cinematography. Elvis is one of the most beautifully filmed movies I have ever seen. Those green backgrounds on Beale St. just take on such a distinct vibe of their own. The staging and lightening of the concert scenes are the very best I have ever seen in a dramatic movie. Mandy Walker more than deserves an Oscar nomination.
Even more stunning when you consider the entire thing was shot in Australia! There was only one moment that gave it away, and (as I said much earlier in this thread), it was when they showed the actor playing Steve Binder "directing" Elvis for his 1968 NBC Comeback special. The crew was all wearing Australian headsets and not the usual American Western Electric headsets, which I also wore in the 1970s as a cameraman. But almost nobody would know that unless you worked in that era: Note the small black bakelite headsets, not the bulky grey headsets used in the film. Tiny, tiny mistake. But the microphones, cameras, and monitors were dead-on accurate. [Picture courtesy of the amazing Eyes of a Generation website.] It's better than the 1979 Elvis TV movie, where they showed Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show, and they used 1966 color Norelco cameras with zoom lenses, which was an incredible faux pas. It'd be like showing a Tesla in 2005 or something, or hearing a Beatles song on the radio in 1960.
Me too. So let's bring it back to the post I originally responded to... I think that statement was complete nonsense, but let the man speak for himself on the subject... Baz Luhrmann and Anton Monster on Bringing 'Elvis' back into the building, with Directors's Signature Blend of Classic and Contemporary Music. 'Elvis': Baz Luhrmann and Anton Monsted on Hit Film's Music Mashups - Variety
Always a nice reminder that sometimes, decisions you don't like aren't just because of Would I have tossed 2020's hip hop into 1956 Beale Street on screen? Nah, not my thing. But going into a Baz Luhrmann film expecting only contemporary to the source music is a mistake. As the article notes, Baz and Jay-Z also put hip hop over a fictional Roaring Twenties. Gary Clark Jr.'s perfomance as Arthur Crudup also didn't sound like it was coming off a scratchy shellac record, too, and that's not a problem, apparently.
As I've pointed out before, virtually no historical film features music exclusively from the period being portrayed. The example I gave earlier in this thread was the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid which featured BJ Thomas singing a then modern song by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, which had nothing to do with the music of the late 1800s. It was far more anachronistic than hip hop being featured in street scenes of the 1950s. And it won an Oscar for Best Song. Again, this wasn't saying that hip hop was coming out of car radios on Beale Street, it was using modern music to convey a feeling of an urban, hip area. Honestly, I think people are more annoyed because it was hip hop than because it was an anachronism.
Admittedly, I appreciate the decision to use modern, popular music in Elvis. Helps to appeal to a younger audience. You hear Vegas by Doja Cat everywhere on FM Top 40/rap radio.
It doesn't just 'appeal to a younger audience' but also speaks to all audiences in a more direct way than strictly period-appropriate music does. You may be turned off by it, but you are reacting to it. It's not just wallpaper, it's there because it's making a point. Baz talks about the anachronism charge thrown at him a lot, and how it is just carrying on established showbiz tradition. Meet Me in St. Louis is another classic example he points to; it is set in 1904 yet the songs everyone remembers from it are not the period-specific ones
Bingo. This is the elephant in the room regarding this topic. If hip-hop, or more vaguely, any type of electronic type of music, isn't part of your usual musical intake it's no wonder why the scenes would offend you. Like I mentioned earlier, once you sign up for the movie's flashy cuts and ADD-style camera work--you're automatically signed up for the whole vibe which includes the music.
Yeah, the original 55S "Fatboy" mic didn't have an XLR connector, so that was wrong. This is the right one, with the weird screw connector on the bottom:
Elvis movie wins 11 awards at AACTA awards, including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Supporting Actress. AACTA Awards: 'Elvis' Named Best Film - Variety
Didn't like the movie. I saw it on HBO the other night. Yes, the rap garbage I hated but it was too long, I didn't care for the production. I really didn't even think the story was well told.
Final Golden Globes Nominations Predictions: Austin Butler, Harry Styles and ‘RRR’ Among Expected Nominees - Variety
AFI Awards Film: 'Avatar', 'Top Gun', 'Elvis', 'Fabelmans' And ... On December 9, 2022, it [Elvis] was named one of the top ten films of 2022 by the American Film Institute, the first ever for a dramatic music biopic since the American Film Institute Awards were launched in 2000.
Austin Butler and Janelle Monáe Go All In, From Living as Elvis for Three Years to Keeping Books of ‘Knives Out 2’ Notes - Variety
I suspect they used a modern reproduction Super 55 because they wanted to capture live vocals, and a vintage 55 just wouldn't sound anywhere near as good. And they didn't count on the obsessives over here at the Steve Hoffman Forum.
Elvis movie snags three major Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture (Drama), Director and Actor. https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/elvis
Doesn't preclude capturing vocals for Austin to recreate later in the dubbing studio. Haven't watched the movie in a while to say if it sounded like live vocals to me. I would assume live take logic was followed: capture it, figure you're going to replace it later, but sometimes that live take just nails it.
